I don't understand where in the FAR/AIM it says you can fly within 500' of people in aerobatic flight. From my understanding, it only allows unusual attitudes, altitudes, and acceleration.Can someone clear this up for me? How are you legally able to buzz a human with an airplane?

When I was a kid, one task I had on the farm was flagging for cropdusters, where I stood on the end of the crop and held a flag for the pilot to aim at from the other end, and when he was correctly aligned, flying about 2 or 3 feet off the ground, I'd run out of the way, the correct distance across the crop, so he could align again after a tight turn, and so on. Being missed by a few feet each time was normal, and I probably ducked about 200 times a year! If everyone involved is aware of what's going on, it isn't dangerous.

Reminiscing about those times brings to mind the day I went for a fly as a passenger in a Piper Pawnee. I was a strapping 6ft teenager, and the flight was with the window open, me sitting on the window edge with half my bum sticking out, one leg around behind the pilot's head, the other down across his chest, one arm inside behind his head holding on to somewhere/thing, and the other arm outside, holding on to the radio aerial I think. With a bit of bending, my head was just far enough inside to be out of the slipstream. Then we did the necessary spraying, which included flying under powerlines across the end of the field, and more than once we banked at 90degrees to go between big trees because going over them was too far above the crop!

And my parents and others were watching - all insanely jealous - but nobody thought it was dangerous enough not to do it. In fact I'd do it again tomorrow. Anyone got a Pawnee?

you should be an adult novel author...lol..... I was a strapping 6ft teenager, and the flight was with the window open, me sitting on the window edge with half my bum sticking out, one leg around behind the pilot's head, the other down across his chest, one arm inside behind his head........lol....classic

I just don't see a problem. He was practicing a new stunt. Big whoop. Practice is to work out the bug and possible problems. And frankly the fact that he "is" a professional stunt pilot causes me to be less concerned than the reactionary non-aviation public. Would it be ok for the average pilot?? No! For a pilot who makes his or her living thrilling the masses? Sure. I can hear the show announcer now....."Playing chicken with an airplane!"